McDonald’s french fries might hold a cure for baldness

McDonald’s french fries might lead to a cure for baldness. No, not by eating them.

Researchers at Japan’s Yokohama National University used a chemical found in the fries to grow hair follicles on mice, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Biomaterials.

The study focuses on the large-scale transportation of hair follicles to areas where there is no hair. Researchers used dimethylpolysiloxane as part of an “oxygen permeable” solution to prepare 5,000 hair follicle germs.

“These self-sorted hair follicle germs were shown to be capable of efficient hair-follicle and shaft generation upon intracutaneous transplantation into the backs of nude mice,” reads an excerpt from the study.

Although researchers note more studies are required, the findings could lead to a potential strategy for hair regeneration.

According to nutrition information found on McDonald’s website, dimethylpolysiloxane is used as an anti-foaming agent in the oil used to fry foods including french fries, Chicken McNuggets and fried fish sandwiches.